We had set our alarm for just before 8 and were up and moving by 8:20am. Not bad, all things told. After a slightly slow start, we made it to breakfast at Karen's Kitchen in Bedford. Then, we stopped off at Starbucks and the bank and drove like the wind to the museum. Even though Edward and Mary left before us, we got there first.

The museum was quite good - a very good example of the type. There was a LOT of grounds, and the houses were well lit and well shown. The rooms in the houses were furnished, but they managed to make them look realistic rather than over-filled or under-filled. The different exhibit buildings (glassware, fire-arms and textiles, clocks) were all well organized, well labeled and interesting (not too long, not too short). The interactive exhibits (the blacksmith in particular) were very intelligent and the people working in them were clearly interested in what they were showing as well as the historical aspects and connections. I was very impressed.

We got there at about noon-thirtyish and stayed almost until they closed, at 5. We could, if we'd gotten there earlier, have stayed longer - we missed an entire part of the museum; the farm and barnyard.

The thing I missed most, actually, was barnyard animals. They had what their paperwork called "nearly six-month-old oxen-in-training". Or, you know, calves. They were pretty damned cute ones as well, but one of them was barely at the 6 month mark, if that, and they can't be put to plough for years yet, so they'll be 'in-training' for a while yet.

We drove home taking the rural, small-town roads, enjoying seeing the tiny little places one never gets to see on shorter vacations. Now we're sitting in the annex on the house listening to the rain come gently down.

There's a house that's for sale, just up the road. $275K for 2 acres, loads of parking, a big 3-bedroom, 2 car garage with over-garage room, gabled house, with a flat drive, set back from the road... I'm sort of in love with it. I know we're not moving here (yet) and we wouldn't want to move in so close to his friends (just to allow them privacy, really), so we wouldn't be getting that house... but it's so pretty. *sigh*

Anyway, the rain is lovely and I have pictures to sort out. I'll talk to you tomorrow!

SongBird